Since LinkedIn accounts for 64% of all visits to corporate websites from Social Media, it is critical that all LinkedIn users improve their LinkedIn profiles. A recent article in InformationWeek entitled “LinkedIn Tips: 10 Steps To A Stronger Profile” has some great advice for LinkedIn users, even if all 10 do not apply to everyone. The 10 Steps are:
1. Update your profile picture. Upload a profile picture to increase the chances that others click on your profile. According to the professional social network, people are seven times more likely to view your profile if you include one.
2. Add media to your profile. Make your profile more engaging by showing off your work: LinkedIn lets you upload images, videos, presentations, and documents. To add these to your profile, click Edit Profile from the menu at the top. Under your Summary, Experience, and Education profile sections is an icon: a square with a (+) symbol. Click this button to upload a file or add a link to something you want to share.
3. Find job leads with LinkedIn’s Alumni Tool. LinkedIn’s Alumni Tool helps you discover where your alma mater’s alumni work, which could lead to new connections and job leads, according to LinkedIn’s Nicole Williams.
4. Search and apply for jobs on the go. Take advantage of in-between moments — at the doctor’s office or during the commute to work, for example — to search for, save, and apply for jobs that interest you.
5. Publish a blog post. LinkedIn’s newest addition to its suite of products and features is a blogging platform that lets users share their expertise and views on industry news. This feature is still rolling out to users.
6. Add volunteer work to your profile. Forty-two percent of hiring managers agree that volunteer work is just as valuable as paid work experience, according to a LinkedIn survey. Twenty percent said they would hire someone because of his or her volunteer experience.
7. Participate in Groups. LinkedIn Groups are one of the site’s most undervalued features, says Nicole Williams. “Search for groups where you can find active, inspiring people — and they don’t need to be related to your career, either. Belonging to groups outside your profession, like location-based networking groups or hobbies, gives others a fuller picture of who you are when they visit your profile.”
8. Use Advanced Search to find jobs. LinkedIn’s Advanced Search feature lets you search for people and jobs based on specific criteria that you input and is especially useful in your job search, says Williams.
9. Save a job search. You can save any job search you perform on LinkedIn, which makes it easier to revisit later to browse recent positions that companies add.
10. Request recommendations. While Endorsements, which let you vote up a connection’s skill with a quick click, are easy to dole out and accumulate, they’re not as valuable as a written recommendation, according to Nicole Williams. Send a message to a few of your closest former and current colleagues and request a recommendation.
The LinkedIn networking is an important part of my “Pool Ball Theory” is that if pool balls are not moving on a pool table the probability that a ball will fall in a pocket is ZERO, and my business opportunities will be ZERO if I don’t continually network.